Veterinary Medical Science

What the Numbers Say About Veterinary Medical Science

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 1,865 people work in the Veterinary Medical Science occupation (OPM code 701) across federal agencies, 0.1% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -3.4% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Veterinary Medical Science is $130,319 per year, placing it 18.6% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 1.9% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 12.4 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Veterinary Medical Science sits inside the Veterinary Medical Science Group family (code 7), which contains 3 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Veterinary Medical Science postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Veterinary Medical Science makes up 79.0% of the 2,360 employees across the Veterinary Medical Science Group family, ranking #1 of 3 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (67th percentile) of pay among Veterinary Medical Science Group occupations.